Is it time to hit the pause button on the Michael Jordan-Anthony Edwards comparisons? Ant-Man has massively struggled in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 22-year-old is finding it hard to get going, but Charles Barkley is not giving up on the youngster. The Chuckster termed tiredness as the reason for Edwards’ failure today, which NBA analyst Skip Bayless has completely denied. Well, once again, Jordan was brought into the conversation, but for a different purpose. 

Bayless wrote on Twitter, “WHAT? NOW BARKLEY’S GIVING ANTHONY EDWARDS THE “TIRED” EXCUSE??? PATHETIC. HE’S 22-YEARS-OLD AND EVERYBODY SAYS HE’S THE NEXT JORDAN AND FACE OF THE LEAGUE. IMAGINE THE REAL JORDAN “GETTING TIRED” IN A HOME GAME 2 OF THE CONFERENCE FINALS.”

The above frustration came from Bayless after Barkley shared on Inside the NBA, “Ant is so tired right now. He’s never been this deep in the playoffs and he looked tired.” Edwards finished the game today with 21 points, shooting 5/17 from the field. Moreover, he turned the ball over in the last minute of the game, which gave Luka Doncic the chance to hit a game-winning three. After this performance from Edwards today, Bayless does not want people to compare him with Jordan anymore. 

Shaquille O’Neal was also on the same side as Bayless. After Charles Barkley made a case for Edwards, the Lakers legend said, “There’s no such thing as being exhausted… Don’t want to hear that. He got to play better.” Shaq was straight to the point and is willing to give Edwards another chance. 

Denver Nuggets elimination blinds Anthony Edwards’ poor outing 

This is not the first bad game for Edwards in the playoffs. The T-Wolves star has been off for the last three games, which includes Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Denver Nuggets. He had just 16 points in Game 7, but his defensive masterclass overshadowed it. In Game 1 against the Mavericks, Edwards scored 21 points, shooting 6/16 from the field. 

Notably, in the last three games, the 22-year-old is shooting a poor 17/53, which is quite concerning for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sadly, they have also lost both the home games. If Dallas secures their home court, the T-Wolves’ amazing playoff run will come to an end. But Edwards will not allow that to happen easily. 

In the post-game interview, he shared, “We’ve been here before. I don’t think anyone in the locker room is panicking…We’ll be alright.” The last time the Wolves were trailing down 0-2 in a series, it was against the Nuggets in the 2023 playoffs. They lost 4-1 in that series. Let’s see if the Mavericks can do that.